Volunteer with a Women’s Group and help overcome the extreme social and legal gender discrimination
Real Journey Nepal strives to empower women through education, support and training.
In Nepal, especially in remote rural areas, child labour (especially of girls), domestic abuse, and sexual exploitation is prevalent. Additionally, girls are traditionally kept illiterate, increasing their financial dependency and keeping them unaware of their basic human rights. A number of laws also discriminate against women’s rights regarding inheritance, divorce and the persecution of abusers.
Since its inception, Real Journey Nepal has been implementing various projects to address the problems of women in Nepal through education, skill training, financial and legal empowerment of the women in Nepal
How do volunteers help?
There are many different options for volunteers who want to work with women’s groups in Nepal. Real Journey Nepal is affiliated with a variety of community women’s groups that are always looking for volunteers to help with skill training, legal training and English language classes. Real Journey Nepal starts by asking the local women what it is they require most and we then build the programs around that. These programs then identify local resources and use local materials for the development of skills, which contribute to sustainable resource use and economic development. Examples of skill training programs offered include sewing, weaving methods, tailoring, beautician training, paper making, shop management, animal-raising, toy-making, and other small business products training or marketing.
Real Journey Nepal also has connections with other NGOs working for the empowerment of women, which also need the help of international volunteers. This work may be training women to become journalists, paralegals or help the organization with marketing and fundraising efforts. If you have 2 months or more to spare here in Nepal you may also get involved in setting up a new women’s group in a needy community.
To develop the women’s groups, you may get involved in following volunteering activities in Nepal:
English & Computer teaching: Teaching of English language and Computer to the women is one of the most effective program taking place at the Centre. Volunteers can create and deliver comprehensive Spoken English and Computer lesson, though VSN has provided several reference books. The classes are divided into three categories- Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.
Women’s support education: Present information to the members about relevant women’s issues in Nepal or globally.
Health Education: Hold an educational program on home hygiene and family health.
Overseas marketing support: Provide marketing services in your home country for clothing, candles, or other handicraft products that can be produced by this group.
Grant Writing: Search for and apply to grant making foundations that will support the planned activities at the Women’s Resource Centre.
A market analysis for potential projects: Conduct a market analysis of skills, products or services that can be set up by the Everest Foundation Women’s Resource Centre. Take steps towards making these income-generating activities.
Do a value chain analysis for potential projects: Perform a value chain analysis for a viable industry, product or service and determine how the members can fill roles in the chain from basic production to marketing and vending
Business Training: Educate the women in financing, accounting, or business development for the enterprise in question
The founding principle of Real Journey Nepal is knowing we could get more money going to where it is needed most.
Real Journey Nepal is a locally owned and managed non-governmental, social development organization which aims to support the poorest and most vulnerable communities in Nepal. We are a small organization, with no international organizational umbrella. This means that all the volunteer fees and funding are lower than many other organizations. The fees are invested directly into Nepal. Volunteering at Real Journey Nepal is not free, as we are partly reliant on volunteers’ fees to fund our projects. We are thankful to those who have been supporting us by taking part in our programs over the years. It is these volunteers that have been enabling us to make such massive changes to the lives of hundreds of disadvantaged women and children.
